< PreviousKiwiFlyer Magazine Issue 56 20 SCENIC and CHARTER FLIGHTS PHOTOGRAPHY l COMMERCIAL OPS OCCASION and PROPOSAL FLIGHTS HELI FISHING l HOTEL TRANSFERS PPL and CPL TRAINING CAANZ and NZQA CERTIFICATED ROBINSON R22 and R44 SAFETY AWARENESS COURSES TYPE RATINGS INSTRUCTOR & NIGHT RATINGS (unlim) Sylvia or Nick welcome all enquiries 09 299 9442 sylvia@heliflite.co.nz www.heliflite.co.nz SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLDTekapo - Mackenzie Country is right in the heart of the South Island nestled by a glacier fed lake with stunning views up to the mountains. Many readers will have flown over the Mackenzie basin, but how often have you stopped to enjoy a weekend at the not so little town situated at almost 2500 feet? The climate is cold and dry in the winter and has mild, sunny summers, making for many good flying days throughout the year. In this episode of Places to Go, Ruth Allanson visits Tekapo: Places to Go contributed by Ruth Allanson Fly yourself to Tekapo Tekapo airport is owned by Air Safaris who operate from the sealed 29/11 vectors. They are happy for private aircraft to use the field, after a phone call (03 680 6880) and briefing from them. The strip is narrow and sloped, plus located in the high traffic area of 118.60 Mount Cook area, so a briefing over the phone is essential. Your briefing will include practical advice on joining overhead and the best arrival times, the sloped runway, the height and slope of surrounding terrain, going around decisions and advice on where to park. Air Safaris staff are welcoming and will also advise on any landing fees. They are present on the airfield 8.00am to 5.30pm in summer and 8.30am to 5.00pm in winter - and prefer you plan your arrival and departure times within these hours. Transport to and from town can be arranged with Tekapo Taxis (Billy Morgan, ph. 021 153 6547, $10 + $5pp for additional passengers) or often Air Safaris staff are going backwards and forwards so it may be possible to hitch a ride. There is also a good walking or biking (MTB) track between airport and town which is clear of the State Highway. Winter operations can be tricky with snow and ice often present. Air Safaris have snow clearing equipment and will open the airport with limited access after a snowfall. Check for NOTAMS which close the airport until all taxiways and aprons, plus of course the runway has been cleared sufficiently. Fuel is available with Z Energy swipe cards. Tekapo Airport in wintertime. The runway is in the forground. The Church of the Good Shepherd on the shore of Lake Tekapo. Air Safaris image Barry Hughes image 21 2018 #1KiwiFlyer Magazine Issue 56 22 If you have not been to Tekapo for a while you may be surprised at the growth. Once there was just the one hotel in town called The Godley, named after the river that feeds into the top of Lake Tekapo. Now the population is around 500 and places to stay are many and varied. A place with a great outlook and a variety of options is Lake Tekapo motels & Holiday Park. Situated on Lakeside drive, which is the first road to the left as you drive in from the airport, they have motels, backpacker lodge, campsites and a 2-bedroom holiday home. Book early, as it is very popular. If you haven’t booked ahead and find accommodation is at a premium, then try The Godley as they usually have rooms available starting at $129 which includes breakfast and if you are fortunate, a stunning view out across the lake. The Tekapo area was first discovered by Scotsman James Mackenzie who was a sheep rustler. He was searching for a less conspicuous inland route to drive the stolen sheep, with the huge help of his dog named Friday. Although intermittently occupied by Maori, this huge inland basin was practically devoid of humans. Mackenzie was eventually caught, but the authorities had great trouble collecting the sheep due to Friday’s cunning ability to herd them away. After Friday was brought under control, the land was divided up into big sheep stations, the first being on the eastern shore of Lake Tekapo in 1857. The remains of the old Tekapo Station Homestead can be seen on the eastern shore when the lake is low. The first hotel was built in 1861 and the first bridge across the Tekapo River constructed 20 years later. Dam building in the area started in the 1930s but wasn’t completed until 1951 because of the interruption of WWII. There are a surprising amount of things to do in such a small town. A visit to the Church of The Good Shepherd is a photo opportunity that almost all tourists take up nowadays. It was the first to be built in the basin, in 1935. The bronze staue of the Border Collie dog, commissioned in 1968, is also much photographed by visitors. This was installed to celebrate the work of the Collie in the Mackenzie. Tekapo is the place for stargazers because even simply stepping out at night is a sight to behold. I remember visiting the area in 1986 to view Halley’s comet and was overwhelmed by what could be seen with the naked eye. A walk up the nearby hill of 1.5 hours to the Mount John Observatory, offers mind boggling views through their massive telescopes. The view over the surrounding country side at night is worth the trip up there just in itself. It is regarded the best astronomical research area in New Zealand and has a neat little café called the Astro - with the best view in town. Tekapo Springs (www.tekaposprings. co.nz) is nestled at the base of Mount John on Lakeside Drive and is open year round. The complex has five pools and inside, a day spa. There are three hot pools, shaped like lakes from the region: Pukaki, Ohau and Tekapo, ranging from 27 to 39 degrees. In winter you can pull on your skates and set out on the international-size outdoor ice rink, skating with the most awe inspiring views, then sample the scrumptious menu at their fully licensed café. Then experience the thrill of the 150 metre snow tube Places to Go Helicopter Maintenance Performance Reliability Safety Robinson Service Centre R22 – R44 – R66 Single engine helicopter routine inspections CAA Part 145 approved Component Overhaul Central North Island Location at Taupo Established maintenance provider since 1980 Come and see us for affordable accessible recreational aviation services NZ wide l Microlight introductory flights l Simple entry process - NZTA Class 1 medical, FPP l Microlight flight training l Online examination service l Microlight pilot certification l Microlight type ratings for Part 61 pilots (RPL, PPL) l Annual inspections l BFR, medical, membership, inspection reminders Simple, low cost aviation support by pilots, for pilots, in a club-based environment. All for just $70 a year! Affiliated clubs throughout NZ Contact us to get into serious fun! RAANZ (Inc), PO Box 15016, Dinsdale, Hamilton P: 07 825 2800 or 021 076 3483 E: office@raanz.org.nz www.raanz.org.nz CAA approved Part 149 organisation23 2018 #1 F K Star gazing from the Tekapo Springs hot pools. Tekapo is world famous for its night skies. ride. By night, you can soak up the stars with Tekapo Star Gazing, the only guided hot pools and star gazing tour in New Zealand. You may even spot the sensational Southern Lights! www.tekapostargrazing.co.nz For skiers there is the Roundhill Ski Area, initially started up in the 1960s by local famers. It boasts the longest rope tow in the world at 1473m. Checking out the pricing at www.roundhill.co.nz, this field looks to be a really affordable option for a family fun day out and also away from the bustle of the better-known ski-fields. After a fun packed day, the locals tell me the Tin Plate is the place for a great meal and wind down. They have highly appraised pizza and many other dishes to enjoy. My suggestion: Before you set out the next morning head to Run 76 Café for the best breakfast and coffee in town. Then as you reflect on the great time you’ve had here, why not decide to stay an extra day? Check out www.mackenzienz.com and start planning Tekapo as one of your next Places to Go. Ruth Allanson Order online at www.pattershall.co.nz Contact us: 0800 722 362 or admin@pattershall.co.nz Pattershall Oil is now the Authorised Aeroshell Distributor for New ZealandKiwiFlyer Soaring contributor Jill McCaw says that flying a glider out and return from Omarama to Mount Cook is one of the Bucket List New Zealand soaring experiences. As a soaring flight, it has everything: enough distance to make it a challenging cross- country flight, variable topography creating variable lift (and sink) conditions, scenery in spades, and the highest peaks in the country to fly around. In Jill’s words, “Just after Christmas I knocked this bastard off.” Jill writes: KiwiFlyer Magazine Issue 56 24 Soaring to Aoraki / Mt. Cook Every Christmas, glider pilots from around the country gather at the campground on the Omarama airfield for a Christmas camp. There are a core of South Island pilots; people from Canterbury, Timaru, Balclutha, Queenstown, Nelson and Blenheim with a regular North Island crowd from Wellington who brave the ferry crossing and the iffy roads south with their glider trailers. This year we were joined by a crowd from Hawke’s Bay and one visitor from the far North. Missing this year were the usual suspects from Auckland, Tauranga and Taupo. That’s Jill in the front seat, heading for home. New Zealand Soaring contributed by Jill McCaw Patented Kiwi Made Spray Nozzles Improved Chemical Delivery Better Spray Drift Control Less Ground Time Tried and Proven Two Patterns Contact Glenn . 027 473 1403 . GlennKeane@xtra.co.nz25 2018 #1 While soaring is the focus of the camp, there are other activities on offer too. Omarama is in the centre of the great outdoors with lakes, rivers, plains and forests providing multiple recreation opportunities. But enough about that. Let’s talk about gliding. All I wanted from camp this year was one good cross-country flight. However, I’m not cross-country rated, and because the club is on camp, there are no rostered instructors on call. I was lucky that Youth Glide pilot and instructor Jono Wardman was happy to take me flying, and as a member of the Omarama Gliding Club, he had access to the club’s lovely Duo Discus, a cross-country two-seater. We agreed to split the costs. We launched into a booming sky about 1.30. The day was hot and still and massive cumulus build ups were growing above the high points on the hills. We released, probably a little lower than we should have for an easy climb, on the ‘nursery ridge’ on the western side of Mt. Horrible to the south of the town. Horrible’s real name is Mt. St. Cuthbert, but no glider pilot calls it that, ever. Jono is a canny pilot and he managed to scrounge us up out of the lower air and into the thermal that was going off at the end of the valley. Once finally established we rocketed away, climbing in strong lift until we were well above the mountain top, the view of the Mackenzie and Lake Benmore spreading out below us. A bunch of the Hawke’s Bay pilots had also taken off around the same time and climbed along with us. Chatting on the radio (133.55) we made a call to follow the cloud street running along the top of the St. Bathans range and head south. After a top-up of height at Hugo’s Elevator, a north facing scree slope at the top of the Lindis Saddle, so named for its There's a new level of customer focused maintenance at Hastings Aerodrome Fixed Cost Services Repairs & Restorations Scheduled Maintenance Modifications Bring your aircraft to Plane Torque Ltd and benefit from our co-operative approach to all your aircraft maintenance requirements. Contact Nic Roberts on 021 068 2271 email: planetorque@gmail.com Above Glentanner looking to Mt. Cook, the Tasman Glacier and lake. The Jolly Brook is the valley to the right.KiwiFlyer Magazine Issue 56 26 nearly assured source of rising air, we followed the group down the St. Bathans at around 8,000 feet ASL – i.e. about 200 feet above the tops. There was so much lift we barely slowed in areas of good lift, we didn’t need to. Running at 80 knots we reached the end of the range with a great view out across the Maniototo. The Hawke’s Bay group decided to go east, but Jono knew I had my heart set on flying Mt. Cook, so we U turned and arrived back at Hugo’s about 20 minutes later. To the north the clouds indicated good lift running up the Diadem Range, the Neumans and all the way north as far as we could dream of flying. But first we had to get across the gap between the Lindis Ridge and Magic Mountain on the end of the Diadems. It took us several attempts, pushing out in to the dead air and losing height, so that we’d have to turn back to Hugo’s to top up and try again. Jono was flying this bit, his much greater cross-country experience invaluable to knowing just how far it was safe to push and gaining every centimetre of height out of any lift available. Eventually we made it and in no time, we were high above the Ohau ski field and contemplating the jump across to the Ohau Range on the other side of the lake. Cloud base here was higher than it had been down south so taking a thermal as high as we could gave us ample height to cross over and still arrive above the tops. I had been flying but Jono took over as we flew up the range and over the rough high ground. We were flying at best L/D of about 80 knots, once again just pulling back slightly to maximise rising air. Our height was about 9,500 feet with the cloud bases keeping us from going any higher. As the mountains tops here are about 9,000 feet high, I was happy to let Jono fly. It was exhilarating. We switched onto the Mt. Cook common frequency and found the airwaves full of tourist traffic and other gliders. There were lots of us up there. Abeam of Glentanner the view of Mt. Cook was spectacular. I’d have happily have stopped there but Jono wasn’t having that. I needed to fly up the Jolly, he said. Everyone should fly up the Jolly. Jolly Brook is a valley to the north of the Tasman valley, the head of which runs into the high country of the Liebig Range. The cloud base kept rising. We reached the top of the Jolly at over 11,000 feet, looking down on the Murchison Glacier and across the Tasman Glacier to the summit of Cook, the Caroline face and all its glaciers. It was awesome. Jono wanted to keep running north, but I was getting tired. I’d seen what I’d wanted to see and I’m just not accustomed to long flights. I was still having fun, but it was quite a long way back home and I decided we had done enough. So, we turned around and flew home. It really was that easy. The Duo Discus has a glide ratio of 46:1. We were roughly 60 nm from home and 10,000 feet above our intended landing point. (Please don’t make me share my workings, but we had a good 2,000 feet of spare height plus a decent circuit.) We just pointed down the valley, flew down Lake Pukaki and took as slight right turn at Twizel, quietly descending. We didn’t need to, but we couldn’t help ourselves, (gaining height is engrained in a glider pilot’s psyche) so we stopped to take a couple of turns in lift as we contacted the Benmore Range. During our three hours in the air we had flown 290 km (calculated as straight lines between our turn points – we of course had flown further), climbed to just over 11,000 feet in thermal and seen some of the most iconic New Zealand scenery from a special vantage point. We arrived above the airfield with height to spare and obtained permission for a ‘practise competition finish’, a nice, fast, flypast along the field which created a fitting ending to an amazing flight. Thanks Jono. If you’d like to try a scenic glider flight, find your local gliding club through the Gliding NZ website and try it out. For subscriptions to SoaringNZ and more stories of great flights, contact me through mccawmedia.co.nz F K i i Stop vermin, birds & debris from entering your hangar! Available online www.ridgztop.co.nz E: inserts@ridgztop.co.nz RIDGZTOP® Inserts block the gaps in the ridges of Styleline, Ribline and Corrugated external claddings. Available in UV Stabilised Polypropylene (black and grey) or Zincalume. Fix to base plates, bottom girts, or top plates. New Zealand SoaringKiwiFlyer Magazine Issue 56 28 Hawera Aero Club’s distant history is much the same as many other NZ aero clubs. In Hawera’s case, it was 1929 when a group of local aviation enthusiasts got together and decided to form a club. A suitable mix of determination and foresight from those early members ensured the future prosperity of their venture which today flies around 850 hours per year and has just purchased another new aircraft, this time an Aeroprakt Vixxen A32LS. KiwiFlyer asked Club President Tony Muller to put some words together on the club’s interesting history and future. Tony writes: Hawera Aero Club’s new Vixxen Hawera Aero Club was formed at Dunlop field on Turuturu road in 1929. This was soon outgrown however and a neighbouring parcel of land was obtained from the estate of Mr. A Spratt. In 1934 the club borrowed from the bank and purchased a nearby 196 acre flat, free draining, farm for 70 pounds per acre. That was 13720 pounds! This Hawera Aero Club locals at the field. Mt. Taranaki is in the background. silenced criticism from the local Borough Council who claimed the exercise was not financially viable. Aviation was seen to be flamboyant and fickle. This farm on Waihi Road was to become the club’s base and still is. The club is an incorporated society which owns and operates the airfield that was developed on the property. Over the years the club’s land has been successfully farmed for sheep and cattle, and is currently cropped by Bruce Nickle in wheat, barley, maize and straw. Revenue from the farm is channelled into the club to help maintain assets, aircraft and the aerodrome. Club membership is a healthy mix of 80+ pilots and retired pilots, plus enthusiasts young and old. A committee of 11 hardworking, realistic people take their custodianship of club assets seriously. The criteria for Committee membership is pretty simple: we value life and business skills, and we don’t value egos or agendas or empires. A mix of young and old ensures stability and we evolve as a club and adapt to the issues as they arise. Planes and People We are a recreational flying club that operate a Cessna 152 Aerobat, a Cessna 172N (purchased new in 1980) and most recently, an Aeroprakt Vixxen A32LS in the LSA category. Most of our student training has been happening in the 152. We’ll now be utilising the Vixxen for microlight and Part 61 pilot training. We fly on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9.00 to 5.00. Members can also access the aircraft midweek. Many pilots have trained with the club to PPL, CPL, C-Cat and B-Cat levels. Currently we have a changing of the guard due to the retirement of our CFI and A-Cat instructor of many years, Wayne Harrison. Wayne’s experience and knowledge will be missed, however a succession plan is in place which will see the void filled by two C-Cats and a B-Cat instructor. There is a listed GPS approach on runway 32 which Massey utilise for training mid-week. We try hard to look after local pilots and students and to make obtaining a Aero Club Profile contributed by Tony Muller29 2018 #1 licence affordable and fun to anyone from 14 to 80+. As long as you are enthusiastic and passionate about aviation, and have a few clues, then we will navigate your way through training so you can achieve your goals and then become part of our crew and contribute to our club’s ongoing success. We also have several private aircraft and hangers on the field including an Acro Sport 2, RV7, RV10, Piper Cherokee, Bearhawk Patrol, and an Alpi Pioneer 300. The new Vixxen A32LS A year ago we sold our Tecnam Super Echo microlight. The replacement rationale was that we needed something which could train microlight pilots and Part 61 PPL pilots – and which would complement the 152 when busy. The replacement needed to be a club plane, with simple attributes; easy to fly, good cruise, tricycle undercarriage, fixed pitch prop, and tough. After suitable research, we settled on a Vixxen A32LS from NZ Aeroprakt agent Doug King. Ours is the second of this model on the NZ register and the first of type in the LSA category. These are Ukranian factory-built aircraft developed by Yuri Yakovlev (previously one of the leading Antonov design engineers). There are numerous Foxbat A22LS aircraft currently flying in New Zealand with proven reliability. As well, Foxbats are very popular in Australia and at $122k brand new excluding ELT and certification, the purchase to be very cost effective. At time of writing we have nearly 50 hours on the aircraft. Pilots have been enjoying the plane and are becoming familiar with it. There’s nothing like time in the training environment to prove an aircraft’s success and thus far the committee is confident the A32LS will fulfil its duties very well in our fleet. The aircraft flies very well, and climbs in excess of 1000 fpm with fuel and TBBOB (Two Big Buggers on Board). She cruises at 105 kts at 4900 rpm, stalls at 27 kts it is very slippery. Attention to getting the approach back to 45-50 kts over the fence helps to reduce float from the high lift wing. The Vixxen is comfortable, visibility is fantastic, and the Rotax 914 ULS supplies good, predictable power to weight at a 16 lph fuel burn. These aircraft are proving very popular worldwide, with a growing waiting list. Current Projects and Direction Like a lot of aero clubs our Avgas usage has dropped below the level that warrants a fuel facility here (from the oil companies’ point of view). Eight years ago our underground tank was removed by BP and since then we have operated trailer tanks which we fill in New Plymouth an hour away – about twenty times a year. This works well enough but is reliant on members with time and a dangerous goods licence. We are now installing a 15000 litre above-ground tank at the airfield. This is being built by Martin Engineering in Palmerston North and will be fully certified, on skids, with unloading and dispensing pumps. The area will be bunded, fenced and have a security camera. We expect to complete the project for $90k with the sale of our trailer tanks and some TSB Bank funds. Fuel companies are happy to deliver us fuel as required. Most smaller aero clubs find themselves in a complex, changing environment. Committees have to evolve and adapt with a solid, common sense, business approach. We now have Committee liability to consider, Safety Management Systems, health and safety monitoring, employment responsibilities, insurances for public liability, aircraft and hangars, not to mention the responsibility to follow CAA rules and to ensure our pilots are competent and safe. These are not so much new issues as an evolution of older ones. We endeavour to address each issue with our voluntary resource of level-headed aviator members, committee and enthusiasts. One needs to adapt and move with the times, but most importantly to remember that flying is supposed to be fun: After all, the reason you walked in the door was simple - to go flying! Having fun flying is the main thing we like to offer to everyone. Tony Muller, HAC President Ralph Gibson learned to fly at Hawera Aero Club 50 years ago and is deservedly a life member today. F K The aircraft flies very well, and climbs in excess of 1000 fpm with fuel and TBBOB (Two Big Buggers on Board). Next >